Are you a debtor, struggling to pay bills and possibly facing New York bankruptcy? What if I were to tell you, you might be a creditor and don’t know it? It turns out that government entities track when they owe people money, and sometimes private enterprises scrupulously do so as well—like when Fortune reported that . . . → Read More: Money Tip: Regularly Check ‘Missing Money’ Web Sites

A while back, I wrote several posts to illustrate who Brooklyn bankruptcy and New York bankruptcy debtors are by the chapter they file in. (For example here is, “Who Are Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Debtors?“) Although I think the posts covered the topic quite well, one of their weaknesses was that they used averages from aggregates, . . . → Read More: Choose Bankruptcy, Not ‘the Sweatbox’

It’s quite common for New York bankruptcy debtors to owe tax debts, and because tax season is here, I think now is a worthwhile time to advise debtors who might believe they are unable to pay their tax bills why it’s important to at least file an income-tax return come April 17th. (April 15th is . . . → Read More: File a Tax Return Even If You Can’t Afford to Pay Your Taxes

A New York bankruptcy case does not need to end in dismissal; there are some situations in which debtors, creditors, or trustees may prefer to just suspend cases. That is, rather than ending cases abruptly there can be times when it’s preferable to simply hit the pause button on bankruptcy until it’s more convenient to . . . → Read More: What Is a ‘Motion to Suspend’ Proceedings in Bankruptcy?

Recently I wrote about the agreements big banks were striking with colleges to make money off their students. The Washington Post ran an article about similar agreements between hospitals and banks for lending money to patients to pay for their medical expenses. From a New York bankruptcy context, debtors should try to avoid these loans . . . → Read More: Stay Away From Hospital-Affiliated Bank Loans

Excessive Credit-card debt is very common in New York bankruptcy. In fact, in 2016 in the Eastern District of New York, which includes all Brooklyn bankruptcy cases, the average debtor owed tens of thousands of dollars in unsecured debts. (Information from “Who Are Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Debtors?“) The question is, what are the main reasons . . . → Read More: Study: ‘Making Ends Meet’ Most Common Cause of Credit-Card Debt

If you can’t drive if you’re under 16, can’t vote if you’re under 18, and can’t buy alcohol if you’re under 21, then how old do you need to be to file bankruptcy? One might think that the age would be 18 because that’s the usual age for engaging in civic activities, but in fact . . . → Read More: What Is Bankruptcy’s Minimum Age?

There’s been some discussion lately on bankruptcy lawyers steering debtors to chapter 13 when chapter 7 is more appropriate, e.g. when ProPublica found significant racial disparities in bankruptcy outcomes. This isn’t so much of an issue in New York bankruptcy cases because New Yorkers, particularly downstate, tend to file in chapter 7. However, there is . . . → Read More: Reason to File in Chapter 13: Future Deteriorating Financial Conditions

In recent weeks, you may have heard of the bursting Bitcoin bubble and the faltering stock market. These types of events are naturally associated with recessions, job losses, and people filing bankruptcy. The sudden turn in markets isn’t nearly so ominous, but there are some things debtors should know about financial assets in New York . . . → Read More: Beware the Stock Market

One serious problem for consumers is the fees they pay to banks. Congress found them so onerous that it passed the CARD Act to help consumers in 2009. Banks still charge exorbitant penalties and even encourage consumers to sign up for needless, high-interest credit-card lines to absorb the overdraft fees. These debts, almost like payday . . . → Read More: Beware Big Banks’ Agreements With Colleges